hmshood-1941

"HMS Hood 1941"

HMS Hood was launched in Scotland in 1918 and was regarded as the pride of the Royal Navy. She was a large ship, of the 'battlecruiser' class, and was famed for her speed and heavy armament. The basic design was flawed, however, with woefully inadequate armour across the decks which made her vulnerable to vertical or 'plunging' shellfire. In May 1941, in only her second ever combat, she was destroyed by exactly this kind of shellfire, launched from the German battleship Bismark. More than 1400 sailors were lost, only three survived.

This painting shows HMS Hood as she was in early 1941, steaming gracefully through a glowing sunset. She was renowned for being a 'wet' ship, that is, because of her weight she sat low in the water and, as you can see here, her forward deck was often awash.